Table of Contents
It was a special night for France’s national soccer team and its fans. The team beat Gibraltar 14-0 in a European Championship qualifying match.
France is ranked No. 2 in world soccer, but Gibraltar is ranked 198. In this game, it was easy to see the difference in skill.
The score from this game is the biggest difference in goals in the history of qualifier games. The previous record was when Germany beat San Marino 13-0 in 2006. It’s also the first time a team scored 14 goals in a World Cup or European Championship qualifying match.
French star Kylian Mbappé scored a hat trick. Seven goals were scored in each half of the game.
Warren Zaïre-Emery also became France’s youngest player to debut since 1914. He scored a goal in the first half.
The game started badly for Gibraltar. Ethan Santos scored an own goal three minutes after the game started. In the 18th minute of the game, Santos got a red card and was sent off.
Ousmane Dembélé, Jonathan Clauss, Marcus Thuram, Youssouf Fofana and Adrien Rabiot all scored for France. Olivier Giroud and Kingsley Coman both scored two goals each.
France had 39 shots in the game whereas Gibraltar had zero. France has already qualified for the Euro 2024 tournament.
Vocabulary
- Fan – a person who likes a sport, team, or celebrity; supporter; follower
- Beat – to defeat an opponent or win a competition; to win a match/game against another person/team
- Qualifier match – A game that decides whether a team can play in a bigger tournament;
- Rank – To put things in order from the best to the worst or from the most important to the least important
- Difference – the amount/degree by which one thing is different from another; a quantity by which two things differ
- Skill: a special ability or talent that you learn and improve over time, often through practice and experience
- History – a record of past events; all of the past events
- Previous – coming or occurring before something else; existing before in time or order; preceding
- Record – the most or least ever; the highest level ever; achieved for the first time.
- Star – a famous person; main actor in a show or movie; the best person
- Hat trick – When a player scores three goals in one game
- Half – e.g., A soccer game has two 45-minute halves. It is 90 minutes long.
- Debut – The first time someone plays for a team or performs in public
- Own goal – A goal scored by a player into their own team’s net; When a player accidentally scores in their own team’s net
- Red card – A card that means a player has to leave the game for doing something wrong
- Send off – To make a player leave a game
- Whereas – compared with the fact that; although; on the other hand; but
- Qualified – Having reached the required standard/minimum for something; When a team wins enough games to enter a big tournament
- Tournament – a contest or competition with only one winner after many games/rounds
Quiz
Discussion Questions
- Do you believe beating a team by a large margin is enjoyable for both the winning and losing sides? Why or why not?
- In your opinion, is it fair for teams with very different skill levels to compete against each other in qualifying matches?
- What do you think weaker teams, especially from smaller countries, can do to improve?
- English teachers looking for teaching ideas, check out my post on using easy news articles for lessons.
- English learners looking for study ideas, check out my post on using news stories for English practice.
Original Story
Fill-in-the-Blank Listening Practice
It was a _____ night for France’s national soccer team and its _____. The team _____ Gibraltar 14-0 in a European Championship qualifying _____.
France is ranked No. 2 in _____ soccer, but Gibraltar is ranked 198. In this _____, it was easy to see the difference in _____.
The score from _____ game is the biggest difference in goals in the _____ of qualifier games. The previous record was when _____ beat San Marino 13-0 in 2006. It’s also the first time a _____ scored 14 goals in a World Cup or European Championship _____ match.
French _____ Kylian Mbappé scored a hat trick. Seven goals were _____ in each half of the game.
Warren Zaïre-Emery _____ became France’s youngest player to debut since _____. He scored a goal in the _____ half.
The game started _____ for Gibraltar. Ethan Santos scored an own goal _____ minutes after the game started. In the 18th minute of the _____, Santos got a red card and was sent off.
Ousmane Dembélé, Jonathan Clauss, Marcus Thuram, Youssouf Fofana _____ Adrien Rabiot all scored for France. Olivier Giroud and Kingsley Coman _____ scored two goals each.
France _____ 39 shots in the game whereas Gibraltar had _____. France has _____ qualified for the Euro 2024 tournament.
